The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-02-08
The INTERSTATE Commerce Eli.

The House viii. probably adopt The Iu:,r-
State Commerce" b!li to-day, and :!iyrc IS ~
reason to doutt that the P-ea.G.,.: viz: SD i;
and that it viii ihua bv very son 5 part oftlc
las ~: The lama.
We uh$>ivG Il 3G.--c.tioa here aud there
that s"lae railroad corporations will attempt
TO !aahc tne !"w ouious by their manner of
b",i.- il We sopposc the Ingenuity of the
railroad managers, aided By the ingenuity Of
highly paid lawyers, could coutrivo to in
convenience the public by their treatment Of
the law. But we advise railroad directors and
managers not to do this. 1t will be a mis-
take, and it may turn out II very bad mistake
for them.
Our advice to the railroad corporations is
to accept the measure in good faith, to carry
it out Loyalty and give all it's provisions Il fair
trial, and to show the public and Congress
that they are ready 10 help cure the many
abuses which undoubtedly exist in the tran
sp"rtation system of the country. The bill is
not a bad measure. Some Of its provisions
which have been strongly accepted by railroad
men as harmless md wise after they have had
a fair :rial. Muay OF the evils VIII CHI the pub
lie has justly COMP lained Of arc struck ut by
it, aid ought to be.
No capable and honest railroad manager
denies in private that he present syotem is
so utterly bad that almost anything is better
and hardly anything can be worse for the rail-
roads themselves. The bell forbids pooling.
out what arc pools except prcctext promises,
made to be broken by the least scruplous
roads3 And no honest railroad manager will
justify or dofend the secret rebater, special
rates and other cut-throat arrangement
which are so notorious.
One form of pool is possible under the
provisions Of the bill, and this we recommend
to the corporations affected by it. The may
meet together and determine to carry ont all
its provisions in good faith, and to sue and br-
ing To justice IN every case every road which
vinlatcs them. Such n pool as tina; the pub
lie would welcome, and II it is formed and the
engagements we prot"se are vigorously car
ried out, we shall SEQ, for the first time in
many years, the business Of railroading cor
Quoted without trickery, without II constant
cwt-throat game among rival routes, and in n
way which will make an upright manager
ashamed.
good effects from those parts 0f the bill which
command publicity in rates and accounts. We
should have been willing t" accept those
parts alone as securing II great Reform il rail-
road management. Thorough publicity for
all the business OF Il corporation is on the
whole the best security the public car have
that these modern business, mnuSt.rs shall
not become dangerous to their creators.
Publicity enable u public "pini"n To rally
against their entertainments condemn and
puniSa their misdcrds and In enforce the poo
PIES rights against them. il Is because we
believe that the lnhlic has - right to know in
every detail what great chrorationS ID, and
tina; being thus informed the people Will ALWAYS
be their masters, that we have urged that the
commission OF inquiry into the fnciiic raiirs,nd
management voted by the House shall have
very broad scope and large powers, shall he
highly paid and shall sit with open doors. We
hope the Senate vii amend the House bill IN
this direction, and we warn the corporations
concerned that tlsey would do we'll to welcome
such an inquiry, and not secretly or openly to
resist it.
As to the Interstate Commerce: bill such a
measure ought to have been passed long ago.
If the present bill is faulty Congress can
amcnd it, AS experience may shcw to be nd
visab!c; but if The great transportation cor
pora'ions whom it affects will agree together
10 give it a fair trial we believe it viii, require
but little change hercafter.-NsW }or& Tier
uid Jdr. 2lst.